New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-02-21
ART NEWS AND coMMENTa


NOTES ON THE wATER-COLOR ExHIBITIoN-AlS
NEWS ELSEWHERE.
This will be the last week Of the WaterColor Exht
bition. Iu popularity has continued, Judging froa
the attendance and, although the amount of ssiss
81 500, may not be extraordinary, 1t IL clear thaA
tho exhibition has made an uncommonly favorable
impression and that the committses policy Of sszo
in selection will be advantageous In the long nm
Az in most exhibitions, the number of good lana
scapes exceeds the number Of good figure pieoes
despite the quantity Of the latter to be encountered
in a round Of the galleries. Tho quality Of Ma
Blums figure work and OF Mr.. Wsir's expressive
Consolation u readily recognized and Mr. ~
animated and Of usually excellent workmanshin.
whatever denciences may be perceived IN oolorin1
and action. Mr. Kappos's we'll characterized genre
Younger Morsns and Mr.. Wiles. Mr.. Horatio Wakers
Holland studies, which show decided Improvement
and promising work BY Miss Francis, Mrs. hirsch.
cited as examples of interesting treatment OF tho
figure. But, the other hand. there are plenty 81
examples OF the Artifciality and lack OF humanity
which are oven more common In figure work thaa
faulty drawing bad color. 1t true that the pictures
# the younger Morans are entirely artificial but they
given slight flavor BY cleyerness OF eaeSuf iS
counts tor something. Ii Mr.. A. M. Turner were more
certain in executiou and more sensitive to color he
pictures would i~ke high rank, Tor 1t ev'd gs
that the artist has some hing to express Hh
y Wanted for Adoption contained an idea, and Wa
invested with pathos. In that In his Cradle
Song" the ooloring was not only meaningless bus
unpleasant, and yet the iIriner picture instantly
made It's meaning felt In the latter the positive
anguish OF the mothers face Is not directly explained
and must be counted Inappropriate, While the other
figure narrowly escapes the ridiculous. There Il
much promising work 10 the exhibition like that Of
Miss Fnngis Tor example, although her Pegsys"
lett arm is strangely out OF focus, but MIR. Turner
deserves especial reco, milton because he is not
corning himself solely With the decorative or external
phases of art, but he H. Ii we Judge HIM correctly,
tpsof &xrifh
IL the lack of meaning which makes so many OF the
figures mere automatic Mr. Syrnington gives every
detail OF his subject with the accuracy 81 photograph
and also with its lack Of liie Mira. Nichols gives
broadly washed-in background which IN Its eEetchy
way Is very effective, but who feel any Interest
in the dotish sgurc labelled Hester Prynne these
arc only few examples tor IL 10 impossible to enter
into any detailed analy els: but 1t Is easy TO nna
pictures the lack OF animation oharaster.
vital faults IN figure work than slips in drawing o.
misuse OF color.
The same lack of sympathetic insight may and does
exist in some of the landscapes but it seems to b
more easily disguised by harmonious coorng, and An
agreeable bit of landscape color Is sure TO please.
But there more landscapes than ngure pieces
among tho pictures with which one could live. Some
OF Mr. Martins landscapes have q hne imaginative
quality which is also teIt in Mr. Tryoas Morning.
although the latters dsyoton to tonality carried
amplcs Ia another vein which OF sterling merit and
Mr Gibsons "New England Pastoral and
a n
very different ways healthy love of nature. The
freshness OF the latter charming sketch has counter
part ia Mr. WhittemOre's " Chateau in Spa o. and
there are other Landscapes by Messrs Eaton, MURPHY
list rhch arc OF interest in one way or another Mr.
Colmans admirable group OF landscapes arc success
ful examples OF manner OF working. aud Mr. Kan.
ger has sent some excellent specimens OF wet
water color work His pictures show breadth OF
manner and now and then as in hs
,nspiriting, although there ia something
very doletul in tho prevailing. coorins. MI.
Carlsens Mon.our is unusual landscape, appar:
areas but contrved with considerable art and very
carefully painted in Opaque color throughout II
might he taken for an impression but it IL an I'M
preston sodiy realized, and the plausible suggestion
OF simplicity recalls Cain rather than Monet Pes-
hops one wells upon this the more acooDnt OF the
tendency OF some landscapists to paint according 10
formulas which not very dissnilar. Mr Murphys
pictures tor example. are seldom other than charm
Ing in color but they convey the recing that they
have been IN ide in the studio II this Is not paint
Ing from recipe il is dangerously like II, and both
Mcsers Murphy and Crane show the need OF more IN
innate association with nature need oceaS oaaiy 20
be urged upon Mr.. Tryon ~be It IL sometimes ilih-
cult TO tell whether Mr.. Dewey IL borrowing from
anothers repertoire painting from chic But even
whom an artist adopts the rite advice oil going 70
nature there danger. especially in watercoor work.
OF interpreting her too literally, wi the result either
OF obtrsve details OF harsh am sarsh colong ~
In Mr. Hamton's" a Tramp" One pleasant feature
oil rhe exhibition is the presence OF 'ous ske;cnes:
and thu fresh. direct waercoor sketch has value OK
it, creator than that OF some pictures counted
nportant on account OF elaboration from which the
spiri, has vanished Bat the sketch disguise tor
carelessness or incompeteucy, although The name 10
too oItsn misusrd. These are only few OF many
pictures worth consideration which may be discovered
b. those who improve the opportunities of the week
There will be q private ve- of the Stewart collec-
ton at the American Art Galleries to-day and tomor-
row the exhibition will be opened to the ouclic After
Rosa Bonheur's " Horse Fair " IN this collection was
ibed in tho Salon OF 1888 1t sold tor $S, 600
to Gambart & Co.. of Loudon, and exhibited in Lon
don ami Manchester in 1896. The price paid tor the
picture by W p. Wright, OF wcebawken, in 1857,
was 80 600, and II was exhibited here In 1887 and
aitorw sold 10 Mr. stewart for S2oOoO according
to ono account and for double that amount according
to another. When in the possession of Gambart &
Co. the picture was engraved by Thomas Landseer,
and s size. hftee feet seven and eialf inches
by eight feet made It an awkward subject the aftise
painted for the engravers q replica reduced about
oue-hali which was subsequently sold to Jacob Bell
-ho bequeathed II TO the National Gallery. wishing
to be more tavorably represented Rosa Bonheur
painted another and larger replica, but official led
tape revented the desired exchange, This second
replies cold At Christies last spring for abous
sis 600 There Is third replica. a comparatively
small water-color. All tbreo owned In Ia gland
Me!ssoniers 1907 seems to have been intended ny
tate tor the auction block since Its first attending pur
chaser was Mr. Probasco OF Cincinnati, whose colleo-
ton is to be sold here next mouth. MI Prooasc0
visited Messoners studio aud very nearly dceidea 10
take the picture The price, $32,OOo, was hnaly
fixed. but the visitor went away and changed Aztec
ward. Meissonier, while bitterly brwalng TINS de.
serton at dinner party, was comorted by Sir Richard
Wallace who offered to take the picture The price
act was $4,000 Time went on and still the canvas
fingered In Meissoniers stuio. Sir Richard Wallace
grow impatient lie grew reproacbtul. since. AS the
story goes he bad made advance, but all at once
tba trade WAS OH and the ADVANCE doubtless ro-
turned Tor Mr. Stewart had offered $4,000. the
picture was finally sold and its price has been rolled
as sweet morse under the tongues OF gossips ever
s;uce And tit Is stated that NJ Sccrctan paid
$40 600 Tor the 1914" Meissoniers first painting,
1.-THE Visitors" e1hiblIed in 1888, brought so, bus
han
pnarm}ou. septuaeenarisn he complains OF having en-
rch.d EVERYONE except himself" HE represented -
being in Estate OF mind the re ,ult Of the pict;
ures sale. but he need feel anxiety. There WIZ
probably be bidders willing to pay almost any sam tor
the distinction OF owning this much talked,of picture
and rivalry may RAISE the price to 100000: y,
the OF intrinsic ert is not very mccn
considercd IN a sale of this KIND The Horse Fair
will robabi furnish another sensational feature,